The purpose of this blog is to highlight the many situations where guardianship is being abused for monetary gain. This is an international issue, since the guardianship of the incapacitated is an issue that crosses all boundaries. I believe that all abuses should be exposed and that the abusers should be given a suitable punishment.

20.3.05

Something is rotten in the State of Florida

When I first started taking the Terri Schindler-Schiavo case seriously, I did not realise that there was opening before me a can of worms that stretches well beyond the issue of the "right to die". One of the difficulties that is faced by the Schindlers in this case is the fact that Michael Schiavo got them to sign over guardianship rights to him. This action gave Michael Schiavo an unprecedented amount of power and control over what happens with Terri. One would expect, when looking at the abuse that has been going on, that the probate judge would relieve Michael Schiavo of his role as guardian. However, George Greer refuses to look at the abuses that have been occurring for several years and grant relief to Terri by awarding the guardianship to her parents.

We have been looking at the surface issues and taking this as a case of the "right to die", which is the angle that is being taken by George Felos and Michael Schiavo. However, the euthanasia angle is really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the matter of guardianship abuses. What I have learned in recent days is that Pinellas Park county has a reputation for not protecting the rights of the people who are made wards. This is not something that is confined to Florida, it is a problem that persists throughout the USA. It is a dangerous situation for the elderly and the disabled because their rights are being abrogated and eroded by the unscrupulous who have been abusing the guardianship laws.

Who is the probate judge of Pinellas Park county? He is George Greer. A legal review of the Schindler vs. Schiavo case should be able to discover the level of abuse and yes, fraud in the guardianship of Terri Schiavo. The level of filing of guardianship documents in Pinellas Park County is very low. It has already been noted elsewhere in the blogsphere that Michael Schiavo has failed to file the necessary guardianship returns. This failure to file the necessary returns has been permitted to continue by George Greer, who refuses to consider the breaking of a legal requirement a reason to remove Michael Schiavo as the guardian of his wife.

The level of collusion in this case indicates that there is a cover-up of the real facts that is going on at various levels. Urgent action is required in this situation. The Legislature has a duty to consider what is best for those who require a guardian, as well as the elderly who do not in fact need a guardian, but find themselves faced with a court case to judge their competency to look after themselves.

The move towards euthanasia of those who are not dying is an indication of the level of corruption in the judiciary, because it is the judiciary that has allowed this situation to bubble along without adequate measures being taken to protect the rights of the vulnerable. This is yet another reason why Terri's situation is one that must be fought and won. The fact that a probate judge has a right to determine whether a severely disabled yet otherwise healthy woman should live or die, is a right that should be curtailed or at least subject to review.

The Schiavo vs. Schindler case symbolizes the plight of thousands of vulnerable people throughout the USA who are being ripped off by the fraudulent guardians. Terri's fight has given a lot of publicity to only one aspect of the issues that are being faced on a daily basis by a very vulnerable group of people. The Greer decision to allow hearsay evidence by the husband, who is incidentally also the guardian, has far reaching consequences for others who are in the same circumstances as Terri.

Another aspect of this case is the level of the power of the Hemlock Society and the control that it has over media opinion. The problem that exists is that the Hemlock Society consists of a bunch of people who have based their own opinions on those of Adolf Hitler, as well as Jeremy Bentham. Within the ranks of the Hemlock Society, also known as Choices in Dying, are euthanasia advocates George Felos, Deborah Bushnell and Dr. Richard Cranford. This hideous group also includes many who act as bioethicists in teaching hospitals and universities. Their aim is to educate doctors to accept what they are saying as fact. For example, Dr. Cranford, a neurologist is often used as an expert witness in the court system for the purpose of stating that a person is PVS and better off dead. It is Cranford who advocates the notion that when the brain is damaged the disabled person is already dead, and that a CT scan alone can prove that the cortex of the brain has liquified. He is a doctor on a mission to oversee the deaths of the brain injured by convincing the family members that there is no hope for the person.

Another member of the Hemlock Society on a mission is George Felos. He is prepared to travel as an advocate for guardians who want to relieve their wards of life so that they can access the property of that ward. If Terri had died within a short period of time after the compensation money being awarded, Michael Schiavo, as beneficiary of that money would have come into more than $1,000,000. It is not hard to see how Michael Schiavo would want to see Terri dead so that he can enjoy the fruits of that death.

This suggests that there is more than one motive involved in this case. The probate judge has made so many errors in this case for he has refused to consider the evidence of abuse. He has refused the tests that are required to prove the true state of Terri's brain. He has refused Terri the right to be fed naturally, calling that form of feeding an experiment. He has gone as far as refusing the tiniest morsel of the Blessed Sacrament being given to Terri.

Yes, something is rotten in the state of Florida. There is a real stench of abuse and fraud of the most vulnerable citizens in Florida. The stench is strongest in the Pinellas Park County probate court, but it also permeates other courts throughout Florida.

It is time to encourage a change and to restore a system of justice. It is time to get rid of the corrupt judges that have been voted into power.